Naacp Board

When Kweisi Mfume adopted a West African name 30 years ago, he chose Swahili words that evoked a warrior prince. Today, members of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People embrace him as their "conquering son of kings" - and for good reason. Mfume, the president and chief executive officer of the NAACP, has overseen the revitalization of the venerable civil rights organization. The "new" NAACP is a financially sound organization, a historic institution energized by young faces, an association updating its civil rights agenda for the 21st century.

MIAMI -- Frustrating many who had hoped to learn his plans, NAACP President Kweisi Mfume wrapped up a three-day board meeting here yesterday with scarcely a mention about becoming a candidate in Baltimore's mayoral race. And residents hoping for a decision on whether Mfume intends to run for mayor will have to wait at least another week. He said he was leaving today on an unexpected five-day trip to Ghana for an African-African American Summit with a White House contingent.

As the board of the NAACP begins a series of meetings today in Miami, Kweisi Mfume, the group's president, is under mounting pressure to decide whether to run for mayor of Baltimore.Mfume's ardent supporters in Maryland see the meetings as decisive to a mayoral candidacy, and NAACP board members are looking at Julian Bond as Mfume's potential replacement as the administrative leader of the civil rights organization.Asked whether Mfume appears to be close to a candidacy, Larry Carter, a board member from Des Moines, Iowa, said, "It seems like it's moving in leaps and bounds in that direction.

Over nearly four decades in the public eye, Julian Bond has had his ups and downs. Today, as far as the NAACP is concerned, he is up.Way up.As the NAACP celebrates its 90th year with its annual meeting in Washington tomorrow, the history professor marks his first anniversary as chairman of the national board amid praise from most who work with him.Some charge that Bond's focus on tried-and-true civil rights issues such as voter registration and prisoners' rights...

The need to preserve affirmative action programs as they increasingly come under attack in state legislatures, on Capitol Hill and in the courts tops the list of concerns at the quarterly board meeting of the NAACP being held in Baltimore this week.The organization's board will vote today on its priorities, including taking on an anti-affirmative action initiative in the state of Washington that mirrors the repeal of affirmative action in California, which was recently upheld by the Supreme Court.

SMILES AND good wishes accompanied the election Saturday of Julian Bond as NAACP board chairman. But by making one of his first acts the reinstatement of a tainted executive committee member, Mr. Bond may have set back an organization still trying to restore public confidence.Many were surprised when Mr. Bond nonchalantly included James E. Ghee on his list of executive committee members. Mr. Ghee, a Farmville, Va., lawyer, was one of four board members with ethics problems asked to resign last year by the departing board chairwoman, Myrlie Evers-Williams.

Hours after Julian Bond was elected national board chairman of the NAACP on Saturday night, he reappointed to his executive committee a lawyer jailed for stealing from a client's estate - a move that has incensed some board members.Bond named James E. Ghee, 52, of Farmville, Va., to the leadership role in the venerable civil rights organization just after telling the news media that one of his top priorities was to "restore integrity and civility" to the Baltimore-based organization. Ghee had actively worked for Bond's candidacy and was perceived as his informal "campaign manager," several board members said.

NAACP President Kweisi Mfume surprised members of his own board of directors when he called last week for a boycott of 10 major hotel chains, and some say he did not consult closely enough with the policy-making body.At least two board members learned of the news while staying in hotels that flunked the NAACP's test of 16 lodging chains, board sources say.Eight hotel chains received F's for not cooperating with an NAACP survey of hiring, promotion and procurement.Two others took part but got failing grades.

The Howard County school board and the Howard chapter of the NAACP vowed this week to communicate better and work together to eliminate the disparities in achievement and discipline between black students and other students.But their Tuesday night meeting appears to have been a violation of the Maryland open-meetings law, which requires that public bodies give "reasonable advance notice" of open meetings. School officials said they forgot to announce the meeting until hours before it was to occur.

NAACP President Kweisi Mfume announced yesterday that the civil rights organization has wiped out its debt and expects to hire more than 20 new employees by the end of 1997."